You may remember sitting close to the fireplace as a young boy or girl and watching the fire move elegantly about the logs, with the familiar crackling sound and smell of smoke that accompanied the scene. The atmosphere it produced was compelling and inviting. When we consider gas vs. wood fireplace features, it can be pointed out that today’s modern gas fireplaces are different than the old-style wood fireplaces in a couple of ways. First, they are much more energy efficient, and second, they do not require the cleanup of the old wood burning units.
Let’s examine the differences and benefits of both types of fireplaces.
Gas Fireplaces
Modern gas fireplace units utilize a fuel source such as natural gas or propane that is supplied externally. On the other hand, wood burning fireplace use wood as the fuel source which must be replaced periodically. It is simple to turn a gas fireplace on or off – many times simply pressing a button is all that’s required.
As well, as briefly mentioned above, a comparison of gas vs. wood fireplace features reveals that gas fireplaces are considerably maintenance-free. Wood burning fireplaces, such as those popular decades ago required periodic maintenance and cleanup to remove the ash and soot created from the burning wood.
Wood Fireplaces
Although gas as a fuel source used in gas fireplaces is convenient, wood as a fuel source in old-style wood fireplaces is relatively inexpensive. In fact, if you gather wood from nature, this fuel source won’t cost you much more than your time and effort.
When we think about gas vs. wood fireplace features in the advantages and disadvantages of each, we can point out that the wood burning fireplaces of the past produced a particular and unique visual appearance of the flames as well as the accompanying crackling sound of the burning wood. In addition, as the wood burned, you may have seen sparks fly on occasion and also smelled the smoke generated from the burning wood. This is something not quite emulated by modern gas fireplaces, except in part visually, and excluding the smell and smoke.
If you are looking at the options available for gas and traditional wood-burning fireplaces, keep in mind the benefits and characteristics of the two types of fireplaces mentioned above
